


Out in the open

by Fiora



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: (a tiny bit), Darcy Lewis is Tony Stark's Daughter, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Heimdall knows more than everyone, Thor made a mistake, but tries to fix it, someone reveals something
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-16
Updated: 2015-04-16
Packaged: 2018-03-23 07:20:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3759454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fiora/pseuds/Fiora
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Thor had not known, otherwise he would not have broached the subject like this. But now, two of his friends were hurt and he had to fix this.</p>
<p>Or: Tony Stark has a daughter he didn't know about, Darcy Lewis gets to know who is her father, and it doesn't go well at first.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Out in the open

** Out in the open **

Thor had not known. How could he have known anyway?

The two people in question had been unaware of their relationship with each other. And he had assumed, been really forward and made a mess of things. Sometimes it seemed he still had lessons to learn.

(And in moments like this he missed Loki fiercely, the old Loki, the brother who had dragged him into mischief as often as Thor dragged him into some mischief of his own, the old Loki, who was thoughtful, well-read, and a lot better with social cues and secrets, who would have been capable of stopping this mess in the making – probably. Not the bitter man who had been ranting in one of Asgard’s cells after the failed attempt to rule the earth. Sometimes Thor wished this Loki back, but he also knew that it was of no use to cry over spilt milk.)

Darcy had fled to her room, probably crying, which meant that his Jane was slightly angry with him (but also with Tony, which was a bit of a relief). Tony himself seemed angry, confused, and slightly flummoxed by everything. And Thor himself? He was slightly afraid that he had shaken up the easy atmosphere the Avengers had worked so hard for after their rocky start.

The rest of his Midgardian friends were in various stages of surprised and embarrassed to have witnessed such a scene.

But how had this mess started? In some ways Heimdall had to share at least part of the blame for this…

~*~

The beginning could be traced back to the time before the dark elves had risen again and Thor – in the result of the said rising – lost his mother and brother. The only consolation of this event was that he had been reunited with his Jane and living with her, Darcy, and Erik in the city of London in the realm of Elizabeth II on Midgard.

When Jane had still been unreachable for him, he had visited Heimdall regularly to ask about her, to at least get a short glimpse how she was doing. Heimdall had kept him informed about her life and her work, and not only did he tell Thor about Jane but also about Darcy and Erik.

On one of these – remarkably unremarkable now that he thought about it - tellings of Midgardian life Heimdall had observed: “The circle closes in many ways with your Midgardian friends. While the man of Iron you fought together with during the attack of the Chitauri continues to fight for the safety of his world, his only child, your friend the Lady Darcy, continues to help your Lady on Midgard in rebuilding the Bifrost and reconnecting the realms.”

How Heimdall had learned about their familial relationship Thor did not know, but that was often the case with the many things Heimdall saw and knew. So Thor did not question it and had assumed it to be general knowledge.

And when he had started to live in London with them it just never came up. A few months later they all moved across the ocean into the city of New York (while in the United Kingdom Thor had, together with Darcy and Jane, also visited Old York and liked it immensely) and into the mighty tower owned by his comrade Tony Stark.

He had been kept quite busy for the first two or three months of living there, with his duties to Asgard demanding some of his time, some minor tasks on Midgard with his brothers and his sister in arms but also spending time with his love, now that they were reunited. In the meantime Jane had settled into her own laboratory in the tower continuing her work (sometimes her curiosity reminded him of Loki’s enthusiasm about magic and then his heart ached with the thought that Loki would probably, hopefully have liked Jane immensely had he really gotten to know her).

Darcy however, whom he often called shield sister to amuse her but also because she had grown close to his heart similar to a sibling, had during this time taken over not only managing Jane’s workspace and her new science assistants but also the workspaces of Tony and Bruce and everything they included.

This resulted in the announcement of the evening. When everyone had gathered at the dinner table, Pepper Potts had demanded the attention of everyone for a short announcement.

“From now on Darcy will not just be an assistant in the labs; starting today she has been promoted to chief manager of the laboratories, while also continuing her education with a MA in Management and Organization.”

The table erupted in applause and cheers of congratulations for Darcy. Thor was very happy for his friend, he knew that she was not like his Jane, and that his arrival a few years prior had greatly disrupted Darcy’s plans for the future. In this she had a new, grand opportunity.

“You must be very proud Tony.” Thor threw in after everyone had congratulated Darcy on her new job.

The other man looked at him in bewilderment. “Proud? Well, I’m generally proud of a lot of things in my life, but for this? Kiddo has accomplished this on her own, it’s not like I did something helpful here and have any reason to be proud.”

“Can a father not be proud of the accomplishments of his children? Your daughter has proven herself to be a woman able to bring order even into the biggest chaos, furthermore she has, in the past, proven herself to be brave and courageous in the face of strange enemies. I know her accomplishments are her own, but as a father you can still take pride in having such a child.”

“I don’t have a daughter, or any other children. I don’t have children. Fullstop.” Tony replied sharply. And maybe, maybe that should have been the first hint – retrospectively – for Thor to back down on this, but alas this probably would have been as useful as closing the barn door after the horse had escaped.

“But is Darcy not your only daughter?”

Heartbeats after he had finished this sentence Thor recognized that the whole table had gone silent and everyone was staring at him, Darcy and Tony.

Darcy, he suddenly realized, had gone very pale and very still, staring at Tony then at Thor and back again, her eyes so wide with surprise that Thor knew that he had just made a big mistake. He also glanced at Tony and saw that the man in question had also gone uncharacteristically still and was staring at Darcy across the table. (Now that he thought about it, both of his friends had the tendency to keep moving a lot.)

“Come on, in a second Lewis will tell us all that this is bullshit, because her father is some kind of hot shot lawyer back in wherever she comes from.”

“I can’t.” Darcy’s voice was strangely controlled.

“What do you mean, you can’t? Are you telling me that you’re me long lost daughter, living here knowing about our ‘relationship’ since forever and admiring me from afar now that we’re practically living together?” The billionaire’s voice was dripping with sarcasm.

Darcy’s answering stare was chilly. “I can’t tell you, because I’ve never met my father. My mother never told me who he is. So no, I can’t tell you about my ‘hot shot lawyer’ father as much as I’d have liked.”

The two stare at each other for a few moments with a ferocity that made Thor a tiny bit nervous.

“I am very sorry to stir up trouble,” he began, “I had just assumed that it was common knowledge?”

“Who told you that bullshit anyway?” Tony snapped, his eyes still focused on Darcy.

“Heimdall mentioned it a while ago…”

“And he said what exactly?” Darcy now chimed in.

“He told me you were Tony Stark’s only child.” Darcy gulped visibly at this.

“But I don’t have any kids; I’d know that; you can’t be mine. It’s absolutely insane.” Tony’s voice bordered on the verge of shouting

“So you’re saying that Heimdall, the watcher and guardian of the realms, who sees EVERYTHING made a mistake?” It was clear to Thor that Darcy desperately tried to maintain her calm, but tears were already pooling in her eyes.

“Hell yes, I think that is a mistake. Never in my life have I been stupid enough to forget myself enough to father a child. Because there is one thing I always knew: I’m not father material. I never wanted children. I mean look at me? Who looks at me and thinks ‘he should be a father’. No one!” Now Tony really shouted at Darcy over the table, the venom in his voice so very foreign to everything Thor has come to know about this man.

“But what if it is really true?” Darcy hissed at Tony.

Tony laughed, a cold, biting sound, a far way removed from the often whimsical man Thor had gotten to know. “Do you know how many women have tried that ‘I’m having your child’ thing, since I inherited? Or how many people came forward with ‘My kid is/I am Tony’ Stark’s child’? None of this was true, even at my worst I was careful enough not to fall into the trap of a potential golddigger! Anyone claiming to be my child is a fucking, filthy liar! And just because some alien is standing guard in Asgard over the Rainbow Bridge and says that you’re my daughter doesn’t make it true!”

“So you’re dismissing everything out of principle?” Darcy was getting louder now and her tone even sharper than before. “I’m not saying that it is true, but if it were, and it probably is, because hello Heimdall - did you research even a little bit about Norse mythology since you’ve met Thor? - you wouldn’t want me as your daughter am I right?” Darcy threw her cutlery, which she had grasped tightly in the last few minutes, onto the table, the tears that had been pooling in her eyes the last few moments now rolling over her cheeks. “Well, thank you. I’ve always feared that I’d never meet the standards my potential father would set for me and you just confirmed this 100%.” And with that she fled the room. Within the moment Jane had risen from her chair as well and sped after her friend.

“I’ve had enough of this crap for today.” Tony rose from his chair, banged his napkin onto the table and disappeared as well. Probably to the labs.

Thor got up now too, but before he could follow Darcy and Tony through the door, he was stopped by a hand on his arm. “It would probably for the best if you gave them both a few hours to stomach this revelation. It is a life changing idea, you know, if your family expands so abruptly.” Natasha was standing next to him, having moved so very quickly that he did not notice it. Or he was so preoccupied with the situation directly before him and did notice, but did not register it.

“But what should I do now? I cannot be idle now; I have unwittingly disrupted their lives most severely. I must make amends for this.”

“And you can tackle this tomorrow. At least for Tony, I doubt he wants anyone around at the moment,” Pepper interjected now. Her face was tight with worry, Thor noted, and immediately felt guilty for subjecting her to this, too.

“You are correct and I will submit to your superior knowledge of Tony Stark for now. I apologize for this; I sincerely did not know that they were oblivious to this. I had known for some time now and it was always so clear to me, I truly believed it was known.”

“It’s… I…” It was unusual to see Pepper Potts so un-composed, but she managed to pull it together after a few moments. “You didn’t know that they didn’t know. And… thinking about it, there are many similarities between them that complete a puzzle I didn’t know existed.”

“I am very sorry to have caused you pain.”

Pepper smiled, but it did not reach her eyes.

“In fact, I apologize to all of you for this. I have disrupted our evening meal most severely and know most of you treasure this time as well as I do. Forgive me for this. Excuse me now, I will go and see after Darcy.”

~*~

As he predicted, Darcy was in her apartment right next to the one inhabited by Jane and himself. Thankfully Jane was with her as he had predicted, she opened the door when he knocked and a part of her shirt was wet, with Darcy’s tears, Thor assumned and again felt tremendously guilty about his actions.

“How is she?”

Jane sighed. “In the bathroom for the moment. I drew her a bath to help her relax, but she has been crying a lot. At the beginning she was also very angry, mostly with her mother, but now… she’s miserable.”

“Forgive me, my love, for making such a mess.” Gently, Thor took her hand, hoping that she was not that angry anymore.

Jane sighed again, but she did not withdraw her hand, instead she stepped aside to let him into the apartment.

“The question about her father has been a difficult one since I’ve known her and probably long before that. I once listened to a shouting match between her and her mom on the phone about this. Afterwards Darcy was so sad… I dragged her into a bar in Puente Antiguo and we got absolutely hammered together. You… you hit a very sensitive topic and while she is very much inclined to believe you, Tony’s reaction has been… disheartening, to say the least.”

This explained his young friend’s occasional hesitancy in talking about her family and it encouraged Thor to right this mishap of his.

“My love, I think I have to apologize to her firstly. Secondly I will assist her in her endeavor in confirming her parentage.”

Jane leaned in to kiss him softly. “You’re a good man.”

“I try, my love, I try. I will wait until she has finished her bath. In the meanwhile you should go to sleep, I know that you have had no sleep last night, you must be exhausted. Let me care for her in her time of need.”

“Really?” He nodded at this. “Ahm, that would be great, I’m so tired. But I don’t want to leave her alone right now…” Jane’s eyes wandered to the bathroom door.

“I’ll take care of it.” Thor gave Jane a soft kiss, afterwards she dragged herself to the neighboring apartment to catch up some long needed sleep.

When Darcy stepped out of the bathroom a few minutes later, Thor immediately saw how fragile she was at the moment, her bearing far away from her usual one, her confidence replaced by timidity, her movements insecure, her eyes still red from the crying. She was clad in her sleepwear, comfortable and soft clothes, he remembered seeing a few times when she came over to drag Jane to sleep again, or when she and his love were watching a movie together.

Her eyes fell on him and she looked around. “Where is Jane?” Darcy sniffed and Thor’s heart broke a little for her.

“She is in our apartment for the moment, if you desire it she will be back in a few moments. But she granted me a few minutes alone with you.”

She stared at him with wide eyes and Thor again saw the tears pooling. He stepped forward towards her, then stopped, unsure of how she would receive consolations by his hand.

“You must forgive me. I did not know that both of you were unaware. Truly, I did not mean to cause you pain, had I known I would not have breached the topic so casually.”

The way Darcy inhaled, it sounded almost like a sob. “It’s ok, you didn’t know.” Her last words became almost unrecognizable as the tears spilled.

This time Thor did not hesitate, stepped forward and enveloped her into a hug. This seemed to break the dams again and Darcy sobbed against his chest.

As gently as he was could he maneuvered her onto the sofa, sitting down and cradling her against him. Darcy clung to him like a frightened child and in many ways it seemed, that was what she was at this moment. He could hardly make it out between the sobs, but the lack of a father seemed to be something that had gnawed at her for most of her life.

“And she never wanted to tell me about him, she…” Here she paused for a second to take the handkerchief he offered her. “…always said that this wasn’t the right time.”

Again she clang to him, her tears now also soaking through his shirt, but when Jane peeked in, maybe to comfort Darcy again, he signaled her that he would take on this task and so she quietly closed the door again.

“And I always, always wanted to have a father. And not just a father, a dad. Someone who would go watch me on stage in school theater…” She hiccoughs a little after all the crying.”…a dad who would help me with driving and my first car.”

Thor lightly caressed her hair and hummed something noncommittal. He knew that his own relationship with his father had not always been easy, but Darcy had never known her own, and as it seemed she always felt this absence keenly.

“And… and… and…” Darcy wept so hard that she was short of breath at this point. “…I always imagined how it would be with a dad, how he would tell me that he was proud of me, or just there to talk when I was angry with my mother and he would tell me that he loved me just sometimes when I was feeling cranky. And maybe training my little league soccer team. And how he would be there at my graduation.” At some points now her breathing was so labored that Thor found it hard to understand her. “And then the other children would never mock me for not having a dad, and the teachers would not give me that condescending smile when it came to ‘father-daughter day’ at school.”

His poor Darcy was so full of longing for someone who had never been in her life and to have the very object of her yearning rejecting her outright at their first recognition must have been terrible for her.

But slowly, very slowly her sobbing decreased in the next half hour until she was just whimpering into his chest and then slowly drifting into an exhausted sleep. Thor carried her into her bedroom, tucked her in and took up his vigil in her living room.

~*~

The next morning Thor was up quite early and after talking with Jane, they decided to let Darcy sleep however long she wanted. After he and Jane had exchanged places on Darcy’s couch, Thor began to work on his second part of making amends, which involved Tony Stark.

Predictably the man in question was to be found in his own laboratories and judging from JARVIS commentary (“Sir is unwilling to entertain anyone at this moment and probably not fit for social interaction after burying himself into work since last night and not sleeping since yesterday morning 5.50 a.m..”) and the state of the man himself, Thor was sure that Tony Stark had spent the whole night tinkering with his suits or other machinery.

He had not reacted to Thor’s knocking, he did not look up when Thor entered and he did not move a muscle when Thor sat into the chair next to him. Tony had lowered his work station, where he normally stood, and now sat in a chair, he must have gotten from who knows where.

But after Thor had said his name once, Tony startled in his chair.

“Oh… you,” was the strangely neutral reaction and after living with the man for more than two months now, Thor knew that Tony Stark and “neutrality” very rarely went hand in hand.

“Indeed, my friend. I have come to apologize. I did not know that this was unknown to both of you. I assure you, had I known I would have handled this issue more delicately.”

Tony just hummed some non-answer.

“I sincerely apologize for causing you distress; it was not done with malicious intent.”

The man in front of him sighed. “I know that, but it still was a shock.”

“I am deeply sorry for that. I only conveyed a truth which was told to me.”

“The truth,” Tony huffed. “For you it’s the truth. But you’ve got to understand that I need proof, something tangible. Just because Heimdall said something isn’t enough for me! Maybe – and that is a huge, gigantic maybe – I have a daughter, and maybe it is the kiddo. But I want stone cold facts for this. Not some all-knowing God who’s watching me and knows everything about my life.”

“Then what are you waiting for?”

“Waiting for the results. I should have confirmation within the next hour. I started running a DNA test with one of the samples of Darcy’s blood, like 3 hours ago. And before you ask, it is absolutely legal for me to have those, she submits them monthly to check for exposure to dangerous chemicals and stuff and has agreed to give the used samples to us for further experimentation.”

“Her blood?”

“Yes, it was the most accessible thing. I made a mess in her workspace when I was looking for hair, which there wasn’t, or I don’t know an old mug that I could have used or some kind of brush or whatever, until I remembered that we all have to submit these blood tests.”

“But I do not understand, what kind of tests are you running with her blood?”

“A DNA test, I’m testing a sample of Darcy’s blood and extract her DNA, with this and a sample of my own I can determine if she is really my daughter or not, because a father and a child will have many similarities in their DNA structures. It’s a simple test often run during paternity lawsuits on Earth.”

“Paternity lawsuits? What is this?”

For the first time since Thor had come in, Tony looked up and took in Thor’s face. “Sometimes I really forget that you’re from another planet. I assume that things like this don’t happen on Asgard?” Seeing Thor’s questioning look, Tony continued his explanation. “On Earth, men sometimes deny that a child is their own and are unwilling to support the mother. Very often in these cases the mother can take him into judicial court, to make him provide for the child. In this case the man takes a DNA test to prove or disprove if he really fathered the child. ”

While this piece of information astonished and enraged Thor in equal parts, he knew that now was neither the time nor the place for this, so he contented himself with the commentary: “Midgard is a strange place. On Asgard it is most dishonorable to disavow one’s children and any man doing so would be shamed by society.”

Tony made an indiscernible sound, but thankfully the explaining had eased the tension a little bit. But Thor knew he could not just let this stand. For Darcy’s, but also for Tony’s sake he had to determine the plan of action once Tony would have it scientifically proven that Darcy was indeed his daughter.

Silence surrounded them now for a while; Tony had gone back to observing the computer screen, while Thor observed Tony. Only the whirring of the machines in the room provided any sound, even the usually obnoxiously loud music was absent for once.

“What will you do, when the test proves that I was right?”

“I don’t really know.”

Before Thor could say anything else, Tony continued. “And before you tell me, I do know that if this is true, I’ll have to apologize to the kid. And then I have to figure out what being a father of a young adult means. And make some kind of compensation for everything.”

After another moment of silence Tony groaned. “Oh God, I have no idea to be a father.” He turned towards Thor, his eyes a little bit too wide, not only with the lack of sleep, but also with panic. “I can’t be a father; I’m probably hopelessly bad at it. Pepper is the only woman ever I could imagine having kids with, and that’s because I know that she would know what to do and tell me what to do.” Suddenly the billionaire pushed himself up, to begin walking around the table. “And how can I not know that I am potentially a father right now? I mean normally I’d expect to know, it would be the right thing to do, you know? Wouldn’t you think it’s the right thing to do, Thor?”

Not being able to shove a word into Tony’s tirade and recognizing the question as rhetorical anyway, Thor just nodded.

“Why would a woman not tell me, at least I would have been able to help financially? If Darcy is mine, wouldn’t her mother have come to me? Oh my God, what if there are other children of mine out there and I don’t know about them? Oh what should I do?”

Thor stood up and guided a now motionless Tony back onto his chair.

“Firstly you will wait for your test to be confirmed, though I know that what Heimdall told me is the truth. How long is it now?”

“The results will be available in five minutes,” JARVIS answered in Tony’s stead.

“Good. Secondly, you calm yourself. Your agitation is of no use and will only serve to confuse you further. I also doubt that you have any further children, Heimdall spoke of Darcy as your ‘only child’.”

“Thank Thor.” Tony sighed only to slightly startle again in his chair. “Ahm, I mean…”

“No harm done, my friend. Darcy uses this exclamation quite frequently herself and I know that my people were worshipped in Northern Europe a few centuries ago.”

Tony sighed again. Maybe it was too early to show him how similar he and Darcy were, so Thor decided to change the topic again.

“I hate this. Everything about this.” Stark groaned. “This whole situation is so fucked up!”

“I know that I am the reason for this major disturbance in our household and that I have overstepped my bounds somewhat, but I came here this morning not only to correct my mistake and help, I also came because you and Darcy are my friends. I have known her longer than you, that is true and you know that I consider her almost like a sister, and I am very concerned for her. So please do not mistake my next words as censoring, they are meant out of friendship for her but also towards you.”

With a nod Tony motioned for him to continue, but Thor just knew from the man’s posture that he was anxious to what would come next.

“Do not fear, I did not come to censor or to scold. I talked with Darcy the last night and she was devastated. I have come to the understanding that the lack of a father left a mark on her whole life so far. What I tell you is something that she told me last night, I suppose she never told anyone, but I’m telling you relying onto you and your discretion in this matter.”

By now Tony’s weariness was replaced by something else, something Thor could not really discern at the present moment, so he continued.

“Darcy has yearned to meet her father for a long time, she was never told his identity by her mother and it is my impression that some people during her childhood made her feel painfully aware of her absent father. She missed his presence, his advice, his being in her life quite often. I know this situation is not easy for both of you. But you are older than her, in many ways more experienced, she is so very young yet, and so scared. I beg you to take this into consideration when interacting with her.”

After a long, long look Tony nodded and then averted his eyes. Nevertheless Thor was hopeful that Tony knew that he had to be careful with Darcy in these circumstances. That a repetition of yesterday evening would devastate her, and he also hoped that Tony knew that if he made him choose sides, in the worst of all possible cases, he would choose Darcy.

With a soft bell sound the computer announced an alert. The test results.

Tony’s eyes practically glued themselves to the screen, opening the message and browsed the results. “Chemicals stuff, blablabla, biochemical stuff, whatever, polymerase chain reaction, hmmm.” Then he gulped. “Darcy is my child, 99% guaranty.” With clumsy hands, Tony yanked at the collar of his shirt as though it had become too restricting for him. “Oh God.” His breathing had accelerated considerably in the last few seconds, and momentarily Thor was worried that his friend would experience a fit of terror. But fortunately Tony then leaned forward to put his head between his knees and clearly controlled his breath.

While Thor had never doubted Heimdalls knowledge, he knew his friend relied heavily on the science of his world and this new development had pulled the rug very abruptly from under Tony’s feet. Up til now he had probably pretended that it still could be a falsehood.So this conformation would be the last shock in a line that had begun last evening.

At last Tony sat up again. “Oh my God, what do I do know?” Comforting Thor laid an arm around Tony’s shoulders. “Now I suggest, we tell your beloved about this and mayhap inquire for her concrete advice. But no matter what she says, you have to apologize to Darcy and if you want to you should get to know her. I know that she would value it immensely.”

And with that he guided Tony up from his chair, out of the labs and up into the penthouse.

~*~

Thankfully Pepper had already been alerted by JARVIS, so she waited for them when they entered.

“Pep, I’m a father.”

“Yes, I know.” Softly she took his arm and guided him towards the couch. “JARVIS told me.”

Not exactly knowing if he should stay or go, Thor remained near the elevator, until Pepper signaled him to sit down, too.

“It‘s real. I have a 24 year old daughter. How could this have happened?”

Pepper hummed slightly. “I know I don’t have to go into the specifics here, but well…”

With a groan Tony buried his face in his hands.

“Pepper, I have a daughter.”

“I know, you already told me twice.”

“Really? What should I do now?”

“Maybe you should start with apologizing. Especially after last night,” was the quiet suggestion.

“Yes, yes, you’re right. You’re always right. But Pepper, what do I do? I have no idea how to be a father. I don’t know how to solve this.” Tony took a deep breath, looked directly at Pepper and suddenly his eyes were a bit more focused again, if not a bit panicky. “Maybe I should buy her something. Whatever she wants. Maybe she wanted pony as a kid, or her own car later, Lamborghini just brought out a new model. What about her own island, something tropical, everyone wants to have their own island when I watch TV! What do you think Pep?”

Thor saw that Pepper had frozen mid movement, but could not imagine why. “I don’t think that’s a good idea for now.”

“Why not? You loved your stuffed toy…”

Pepper made a non-distinct sound and looked at Thor. “Maybe you should first try to get to know her? Wouldn’t that be nice?”

Knowing that this was his clue Thor intercepted before Tony could start. “I agree with Pepper that getting to know Darcy better outside the work-place would be, very likely, also her wish. While it is true that a kindly meant gift,” and here Pepper threw him an exasperated look that Thor did not want to understand, “can go a long way, in this case I presume that it should not be the first course of action you take.”

Thor and Pepper looked expectantly at Tony, but for quite some time he was quiet, lost in his thoughts and seemed miles away.

“Tony? What do you say?” His girlfriend asked cautiously, but he did not react. “Tony?”

That seemed to snap him out of whatever introspection he was in. “Yes! Yes, that’s a good idea. I… Oh my… I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think I should go downstairs and have a real talk with her. And before you say anything, also apologize.”

Pepper threw Thor a delighted glance, while Tony stood up.

“And Pep?”

“Yes, dear?”

“Inquire quietly in the law department about inheritance and all that stuff. If she agrees, I’ll name her my heir. Also depending if she wants it or not, non-disclosure agreements how you think it’s necessary.”

Judging by the way her eyes widened, it seemed that Pepper had not expected this. But then she smiled a soft, almost private smile.

“I will Tony, I will.”

Tony smiled back. “Come on Thor, I’d value your company when I go tell her and maybe you’ll help me prevent me making an ass out of myself again.” Outwardly Tony had regained some of his usual, nonchalant self, even though Thor could see his hands shaking slightly.

~*~

On their way downstairs, with a bit of additional encouragement from Pepper, Thor began to doubt if this was the wisest course of action. Tony stood in the elevator shaking like a leaf in the wind. Suddenly his friend was so nervous again, so unsure of himself, so overwhelmed… what if meeting Darcy with the knowledge that she was his daughter could lead to another disaster? He really hoped for the best.

Opening the door to Darcy’s apartment was not the woman herself, but Jane, who still was angry about Tony’s reaction the evening before.

“You?” Thor knew from experience that the tone his beloved was using did not bode well. But not only Tony received her angry glare, Thor also was treated with a look which said ‘why have you brought HIM here?’ “What do you want?”

Visibly taken aback by Jane, with whom he normally got along very well, Tony asked: “Ahm… can I talk with Darcy? Please?”

“Why should I? So you can make her cry again? No, I don’t think so.”

“Please?” Jane just huffed at this and moved to fully block the doorway with her slight 5’3’’ frame. If Tony had not looked at him so pleadingly, Thor would have found it quite amusing.

“My love,” the Asgardian stepped towards her. “Our friend Tony has come to apologize and maybe, if Darcy agrees to it, to restart, this conversation on more amiable terms. Can you not allow this?”

Immediately Thor saw Jane softened, but she remained quite firm. “I still don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Don’t I get a say in this?” came Darcy’s voice from within the apartment, she stepped forward still looking a little bit worse for the wear but considerably more calm than last night. Once again Darcy and Tony stared at each other, but without the anger of last night, which had been replaced with weariness and maybe a bit of fear on both sides.

“By the way, your tablet dinged for like five times in the last minute, I think the diagnostics test runs from yesterday are finally finished.”

“Ohhh, gimme!” Enthusiastically Jane took the StarkTab from her friend’s hands. “Still not letting you in Stark,” she added as an afterthought, her eyes glued to the screen.

Tony and Darcy stared at each other, like two animals seizing each other’s strengths and weaknesses. When Darcy tried to take a step towards the door, Jane’s focus shifted immediately from her work to Darcy again.

“Do you really think this is a good idea?” Jane’s question was not imbued with additional meaning, just pure, sincere concern about the course Darcy wanted to take.

“No. But I think I should talk to him anyway. Let them in.”

“Do you want me to stay with you?”

Darcy hesitated, then looked at Thor, who smiled gently at her. “No, you don’t have to. I know that right now you’re super excited to go back to your work. Also: Thor will be there with me, won’t you?”

“Indeed I will, little sister, if that is your wish.”

“See Jane, it will be ok… ish. I think. Go to the lab for a bit, get your stuff done, I know you’ve been eager to get this done yesterday.”

Jane took one long look at Darcy, then she nodded and focused on the tablet again already moving towards the elevator. She casually remarked: “Stark! If you’re making her cry again, I will find a way to open a transdimensional portal in your lab, while you’re in it, to see you transported to some god-forsaken planet at the other end of the galaxy where you’ll be never found again. Understood?” Jane looked up from the screen, signaled the universal sign for “I’m watching you” and skipped into the elevator. When the doors closed behind her Tony still stared a bit dumbfounded at the silvery doors. Thor cleared his throat to get the man’s attention again.

“Come on in.” Darcy left the door open and disappeared into the inside. The two men followed her.

~*~

Thor knew that this was a conversation where he was the support, the emergency rescuer. He knew that these two had to sort this out for themselves, with this in mind he leaned back into Darcy’s couch, trying to be as invisible as he could be, after he had procured some beverage for all of them. After some more staring at each other and some gentle encouragement from Thor via meaningful looks, Tony cleared his throat.

“So it appears, Heimdall and Thor were right. I did a DNA test and the result showed that we’re related. 99% probability. Minimal error rate and…”

Before Tony could delve into technical details, Darcy interrupted him: “You did a DNA test? How the fuck did you get my DNA?”

“Ahm, the blood samples. You know the monthly, health checkup, whatever samples you submit? I took one. But that was after I searched your desk for saliva or hair… so I’m sorry, it doesn’t look as it usually looks?”

“Ugh, I hope you haven’t touched my filing system for Jane, Bruce and you. I worked like a week on that.”

Thor suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. Those two were deflecting the bilgesnipe directly in front of them rather expertly.

A few moments of uncomfortable silence passed, while Thor watched his two friends fidgeting uncomfortably, both unwilling to start with this obviously sensitive topic.

“So…” Tony started. “I’m really your da… father.” He grabbed the glass of water on the couch table and gulped it down in one go. “Kind of… unexpected for me?”

The young woman squirmed on her seat. “Yeah. Same.”

Another moment of silence between them passed.

“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry for yesterday evening. My… my reaction was a bit extreme. I just… it was kind of unexpected. That’s no excuse of course for my behavior. I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings.”

For the first time since their short branching into scientific methods, Darcy looked at Tony directly. “Thanks. But it’s not all your fault; I shouldn’t have been so aggressive about that.”

“I’m your father, I have to carry the responsibility here, and you’re like 99.8% excused. “ Tony countered in an unfamiliar, earnest tone. “We got along so well up till now, I hope I haven’t destroyed this with yesterday.”

Darcy did not answer on this, but she shook her head, averted her eyes again and twitched on her couch. Tony, meanwhile, stared at his new-found daughter like she was the answer to every question he ever held.

“I… It’s… I want…Oh God, this is so hard.” With this Tony jumped up, walked up towards the window front and back until he was standing directly next to Darcy.

“Listen, I know this is weird and I know we had a terrible start. I also know that I have no idea what it means to be a father and I always thought I’d be horrible one, just like my old man. But…damn, I like you, after the initial shock yesterday I had kind of already expected it before the results came in and I’m not opposed to fatherhood.” He paused. “That sounds pretty bad, but believe me when I say, that I want you as my daughter. I want us to get to know each other. I always knew that if I ever should have kids, I’d never be like my father. And this…” Tony made some strange gesture, waiving between Darcy and himself. “… this is fucked up from the beginning, because I wasn’t there for you. I didn’t know about you and… ugh…this is so hard…we kind of have to restart our relationship, because if this would have gone like even remotely normally, because well Stark’s don’t do normal very well, I’d have known about you. Oh shit, I’m rambling, but my point is, I would have wanted to be a father for you, if I’d been given the chance. To build a robot with you, or well even stuff like paying for your college or you know, get you amazing stuff you always wanted.” In the course of Tony’s little monologue, Darcy had begun to tear up a bit, but she had tried to bottle it up as good as she was able to. Now she could not hold it any longer and she began to tear up. ”Oh God, I made you cry. I’m a horrible father. What did I do?” He looked at Thor for the first time since they had sat down together. “What do I do?” His voice had taken a slightly panicky tone.

“It’s alright.” Darcy tried to wipe away the tears, but they just kept coming.

Tony awkwardly flopped down onto the couch right next to her and after a moment of fidgeting and insecurity, he took her hand in hers. Darcy looked to him in surprise, but she did not move her hand away.

“What I was trying to say: I’d really like to get to know you, as your father.” A deep breath in, a deep breath out. “God, now I need a drink.”

“I’d like that, but yeah, me too.” Darcy grinned. “Oh and Tony?”

“Hmm?”

“You might be my da… father. But simply taking my blood sample? Not cool. MASSIVE invasion of privacy. For the future: If you want to get to know me, ASK me. No stalking on Facebook, twitter, Instagram, Tumblr or Pinterest or whatever. And don’t ask JARVIS about it either. Okay?”

“Alright. I promise that I’ll try. That’s the best I can say, really, I try.”

Tony and Darcy smiled at each other and for Thor they had never looked more like father and daughter than at this moment. He also knew that now that the worst was over, he was more in the way than a help to them.

“Wait, you’ve got a Pinterest account?”

Darcy just groaned, but Thor took it as a good sign. The worst was over.

“I think my role for now is done. I will leave you alone for now. Once again forgive me for the chaos that ensued upon my words.”

He stood up ready to go, but before he was able to take one step towards the door, Darcy was in his arms again. “Thanks,” she whispered in his ear. “You’re really like the big brother I never had.”

“I’m glad I could be of assistance, little sister.”

After she let him go, Tony awkwardly shook his hand and thanked him as well.

So what now lay ahead of Tony and Darcy was to get to know each other. Really get to know each other and not just exchanging snarky assistant to boss remarks. But Thor was really confident that these two would make it, after a horrible beginning they could make a great second start. He had a good feeling about them.

**Author's Note:**

> So I hope you liked it, if so I'd be very happy about reviews.  
> Furthermore: I have ideas for a sequel...


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